In the midst of all the action flicks, thrillers, art films, and horror movies that come out every year, there are the beloved romantic comedies or rom-coms. Arguably, some of the best rom-coms came out in the 90s, a lot of which happen to be written, directed, or produced by the late Nora Ephron.
Fortunately, with the availability of streaming services like Netflix, Ephron’s best films continue to be enjoyed by many today. Since people can’t get enough of them, these behind-the-scenes secrets from some of her movies are sure to sate every fan's appetite.
10 When Harry Met Sally: The Pie Order Is Based On Nora Ephron’s Personal Pie Preference
If you’re into sweet love stories, When Harry Met Sally is the ultimate rom-com to watch. Sure, the movie is kind of a cliché, with the best friends falling in love by the end, that said, the movie is known for some iconic scenes, including the one where Meg Ryan’s Sally orders apple pie à la mode (heated with ice cream on the side).
As it turns out, this scene was inspired by Ephron herself, who wrote the movie. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, director Rob Reiner revealed that he discovered Ephron’s “qualifications” for pie when they went out for lunch.
9 Sleepless In Seattle: It Was Nora Ephron’s Son Who Insisted On Casting Rosie O’Donnell
Sleepless in Seattle is the second film that Ephron ever directed. Just like When Harry Met Sally, the movie also stars Meg Ryan, only this time, her love interest is played by Oscar-winning actor, Tom Hanks.
The cast also includes Rosie O’Donnell, and perhaps, one of the things that fans never knew about this movie is that Ephron’s son, Jacob, was the one who insisted on casting O’Donnell because he wanted to meet O’Donnell’s famous friend, Madonna. “He keep [sic] saying, 'Mom, you have to hire Rosie …,” O’Donnell told USA Today. “He really pushed for it.”
8 Sleepless In Seattle: They Weren’t Initially Allowed To Film At The Empire State Building
The movie’s climactic scene occurs at the top of the Empire State Building, and unbeknownst to many, the shot almost never occurred because they weren’t allowed inside. Fortunately, Ephron had connections. “And Nora said, ‘I know somebody,’” the movie’s producer, Gary Foster recalled while speaking with Variety.
As it turns out, Ephron knew the publicist who was representing Leona Helmsley, the building’s owner, who was in prison at that time. “The man said I’m going to see her in a few days and I’ll bring her up.” Helmsley allowed them to use the building for six hours.
7 Mixed Nuts: Steve Martin & Liev Schreiber Worked On Their Tango Scene For Over A Week
Mixed Nuts is a little-known, unconventional holiday film where the story revolves around a crisis hotline during Christmas time. In one scene, Martin ends up sharing a dance with Schreiber, who plays a drag queen in the movie.
While speaking with The Morning Call, Martin revealed, “I danced with a man for a week and a half.” Schreiber also discussed the scene on Conan, saying, “I’m mortified because we haven’t even shook hands yet, and every time he spins me, it’s 'thwack' into his leg.”
6 Michael: The Final Dance Scene Was Not In The Original Script
This 1996 fantasy movie sees actor John Travolta portrays the Archangel Michael, who has been living with an old woman played by Jean Stapleton. The movie was a success with fans who were especially thrilled with the heartwarming ending, with Stapleton’s character and Travolta dancing as they made their way to heaven.
As it turns out, however, the movie never intended to end this way. “The audience got worried about where we were,” Travolta told Ocala.com. “They didn’t want to be sad, so we went to the studio and they filmed us dancing and superimposed it at the end.”
5 You’ve Got Mail: Tom Hanks Gave Nora Ephron A ‘Bunch Of Grief’ Over His Character
In You’ve Got Mail, Ephron crafts a love story that centers around e-mailing, which was relatively new around that time. And just like Sleepless in Seattle, this movie also revolves around characters portrayed by Ryan and Hanks. Unfortunately, however, Hanks’ reunion with Ephron came with some tension on the set.
“I gave her a bunch of grief. Mostly about my character’s relationship with his son,” Hanks told Entertainment Weekly. “It got pretty cantankerous. Brutally honest.” That said, the film went on to be considered one of Hanks’ best works.
4 Lucky Numbers: The Movie Was Originally A Dark Comedy But Paramount Had Other Ideas
The 2000 movie sees Ephron reunite with Travolta. This time around, they are also joined by Bill Pullman, Friends star Lisa Kudrow, Modern Family alum Ed O'Neill, and even Michael Moore. There were high expectations for the movie early on, but it eventually turned out to be a flop.
Originally, the movie was intended to be a dark comedy, but the movie’s writer, Adam Resnick, believes Paramount was responsible for transforming the movie into a “hack cliché.” Unfortunately, Resnick told AV Club that Paramount wanted something “lighter” and “airier.”
3 Bewitched: Nora Ephron Was Brought In After Nicole Kidman Said She Wanted To Do A Remake
The feature film adaptation of a popular TV series was apparently made possible by Kidman’s interest in doing the movie. In fact, if it weren’t for this Oscar-winning actress, Columbia Pictures wouldn’t even have thought of it.
“The truth is that when I got this momentous telephone call from Columbia Pictures saying ‘Help! We’re about to have a meeting with Nicole Kidman and she wants to do Bewitched and we have no plot,'” Ephron recalled while speaking with Hollywood.com. For the movie’s screenplay, Ephron partnered up with her sister and frequent collaborator, Delia.
2 Julie And Julia: Nora Ephron Cast Meryl Streep After Running Into Her
The 2009 movie tells the story of a blogger who decides to take on the challenge of cooking all the recipes in Julia Child’s cookbook. Actress Amy Adams was cast to portray blogger Julie, while Oscar winner Streep portrayed the revered food icon.
Interestingly, Streep booked her role after running into Ephron. According to Emanuel Levy, Streep and Ephron ran into each other during a performance of Shakespeare in the Park. The two women got to talking and Ephron mentioned that she was working on this movie. In response, Streep gave her best impression of Child, saying, “Bon Appétit!”
1 Julie And Julia: Nora Ephron Made The Cast Cook And Blog To Prepare For The Movie
Julie and Julia, without a doubt, is one of the most recommended films for food lovers, as it features many scenes where food is undoubtedly the star. To prepare for the movie, Ephron even asked the cast to cook a recipe from Child’s book and blog about it, much like what Adams’ character did in the movie.
In the case of Adams, she ended up preparing Brussel sprouts with cheese. While speaking with MTV, the actress recalled, “I wrote about it, much to my chagrin.”
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